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Chadds Ford resident Matthew Hebert found himself in the crosshairs of federal officials during the Raves' loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Jan. 28 and will now face prison time after taking several photos of himself with the drone at the game, which had to be temporarily suspended.
According to court documents, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had put in place a temporary flight restriction for M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during the AFC Championship game, which Hebert ran afoul of.
“Illegally operating drones poses a significant security risk that will lead to federal charges,” US Attorney Erek Barron said. “Temporary flight restrictions are always in place during large sporting events.”
That restriction precludes users from operating a drone within three nautical miles of the stadium, starting one hour before and lasting until one hour after the game.
"During the game, the incursion of an unidentified and unapproved drone was deemed a serious enough threat that NFL Security temporarily suspended the game," prosecutors noted.
The drone was tracked by Maryland State Police troopers to the area where the drone landed in the 500 block of South Sharp Street in Baltimore, where FBI agents met Hebert blocks away from the stadium.
Hebert told investigators that he "assumed he was allowed to fly his (drone) since his DJI application did not prevent him from doing so." He is accused of flying the drone approximately 100 meters or higher for approximately two minutes.
According to the affidavit, while in flight, Hebert captured approximately six photos of himself and the Stadium and may have taken a video as well.
The 44-year-old faces up to three years in prison for knowingly operating an unregistered unmanned aircraft and for knowingly serving as an airman without an airman's certificate. He also faces one year in federal prison for willfully violating United States National Defense Airspace
“Operating a drone requires users to act responsibly and educate themselves on when and how to use them safely,” acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office added. “The FBI would like to remind the public of the potential dangers of operating a drone in violation of federal laws and regulations.
"The reckless operation of a UAS in the vicinity of a large crowd can be dangerous to the public, as well as interfere with other law enforcement and security operations.”
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